also hath given us of his Holy Spirit." This is therefore a mighty confirmation of this truth, that he that slights the record or testimony that God by his Spirit, in his prophets and apostles, hath testified unto us, slights the testimony of the Spirit, who moved them to speak these things; and if so, then I would fain know how any man can be saved by Jesus Christ that slights the testimony concerning Christ, yea, the testimony of his own Spirit concerning his own self. It is true, men may pretend to have the testimony of the Spirit, and from that conceit set a low esteem on the Holy Scriptures; but that spirit that I dwelleth in them and teacheth them so to do it is no better than the spirit of Satan, though it calls itself by the name of the Spirit of Christ. "To the law, therefore, and to the testimony;" try them by that; "if they speak not according to the word, it is because there is no light in them."

The apostle Peter when he speaks of the glorious voice that he had from his excellent Majesty, saying of Christ, "This is my beloved Son, hear him," saith thus to them whom he wrote unto: "You have also a more sure word of prophecy," (or of the prophets, for so you may read it,) "unto which you do well that you take heed." That is, though we tell you that we had this excellent testimony from his own mouth evidently, yet you have the prophets. We tell you this, and ye need not doubt of the truth of it; but if you should, yet you may not, must not, ought not to question them. Search, therefore, unto them until the day dawn and the day-star arise in your hearts; that is, until by the same Spirit that gave forth the Scriptures you find the truth confirmed to your souls which you have recorded in the Scriptures. That this word of prophecy or of the prophets is the Scriptures, read on; for, saith he, "knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scriptures is of any private interpretation," &c.

But you will say, What needs all this ado, and why is all this time and pains spent in speaking to this that is surely believed already? This is a thing received by all, that they believe the Scriptures to be the word of God, that sure word of prophecy; and therefore you need not spend your time in proving these things and the truth of them, seeing we grant and confess the truth of it before you begin to speak your judgment of them.

Answer 1. The truths of God cannot be borne witness unto too often. You may as

well say, You need not preach Jesus Christ so much, seeing he hath been and is received for the true Messias already.

2. Though you may suppose that they do be lieve the Scriptures, yet if they were but well examined you will find them either by word of mouth, or else by conversation, to deny, re ject, and slight the Holy Scriptures. It is true, there is a notional and historical assent in the head-I say, in the head-of many or most to the truth contained in Scripture; but try them, I say, and you shall find but a little, if any, of the faith of the operation of God in the hearts of poor men to believe the Scrip tures and things contained in them. Many, yea, most men, believe the Scriptures as they believe a fable, a story, a tale, of which there is no certainty. But, alas! there are but few that do indeed and in truth believe the Scriptures to be the very word of God.

Objection. But you will say, This seems strange to me.

Answer. And it seems as true to me; and I doubt not but to make it manifest that there are but few, yea, very few, that do effectually (for that I aim at) believe the Scriptures and the truth contained in and spoken of by them. But to make this appear, and that to purpose, (if God will,) I shall lay you down the several operations that the Scriptures have on them who do effectually believe the things contained in them.

1. He that doth effectually believe the Scriptures hath, in the first place, been killed-I say, killed-by the authority of the Holy Scriptures, struck stark dead, in a spiritual sense, by the Holy Scriptures being set home by that Spirit which gave them forth upon the soul. "The letter killeth;" the letter strikes men dead. And this Paul witnessed and found before he could say, "I believe all the the prophets have spoken;" where he saith, "I was alive without the law once"—that is, in my natural state, before the law was set on my heart with power-"but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And that law that was ordained to life I found to be unto death; for sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and thereby slew me." Now that which is called the letter in. 2 Cor. is called the law in Rom. vii., which, by its power and operation, as it is wielded by the Spirit of God, doth in the first place kill and slay all those that are enabled to believe the Scriptures. I kill, saith God; that is, with my law I pierce, I wound, I prick men into the

the law; and he that is ignorant of this is also ignorant of, and doth not really and effectually believe, the Scripture.

But you will say, How doth the law kill and strike dead the poor creatures?

Answer. First, the letter or law doth kill thus: it is set home upon the soul, and discovers to the soul its transgressions against the law, and shows the soul also that it cannot completely satisfy the justice of God for the breach of his law, therefore it is condemned. Mark, "He that believeth not is condemned already;" to wit, by the law; that is, the law doth condemn him; yea, it hath condemned him already for his sins against it; as it is written, "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them." Now all men, as they come into the world, are in this conditionthat is, condemned by the law; yet not believing their condemnation by the law really, they do not also believe really and effectually the law that doth condemn them. For as men have but a notion of the one-that is, their condemnation because of sins against the law so they have but a notion of the condemning, killing, and destroying power of the law; for, as the one is, so in these things always is the other. There is no man that doth really believe the law or Gospel further than they do feel the power and authority of them in their hearts. "Ye err, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God." Now, this letter or law is not to be taken in the largest sense, but is strictly to be tied to the ten commandments, whose proper work is only, by showing the soul its sin against the law, to kill, and there leaves him stark dead, not giving him the least life or support or comfort, but leaves the soul in an helpless and hopeless condition 2 from itself or any other mere creature.

It is true, the law hath laid all men for dead as they come into the world, but all men do not see themselves dead until they see the law that struck them dead striking in their souls and having struck them that fatal blow. As a man that is fast asleep in a house, and that on fire about his ears, and he not knowing of it because he is asleep, even so, because poor souls are asleep in sin, though the wrath of God, the curse of his law, and the flames of ell have beset them round about, yet they do not believe it, because they are asleep in sin. Now, as he that is awakened and sees this, sees

at through this he is a dead man, even so

such a sad condition, do also see themselves by that law to be dead men naturally.

But now, when didst thou feel the power of this first part of the Scripture, the law, so mighty as to strike thee dead? If not, thou dost not so much as verily believe that part of the Scripture that doth contain the law in it to be the truth of God. Yet if thou shouldst have felt something-I say, something-of the killing power of the law of God in thine heart, this is not an argument to prove that thou believest all the things contained in the Scripture, for there is Gospel as well as law; and therefore I shall speak to that also-that is, whether thou hast felt the power of the Gospel, as well as something of the power of the law.

2. Then thou hast found the power of the Gospel, and so believed it; thou hast found it thus with thy soul.

1. Thou hast been showed by the word of truth of the Gospel, in the light of the Spirit of Christ, that by nature thou wert without the true faith of the Spirit of Christ, that by nature thou wert without the true faith of the Son of God in thy soul; for when "he, the Spirit, is come, he shall show men that they believe not in me," saith Christ. Mark, though thou hast, as I said before, felt somewhat of the power of the law, letter, or ten commandments, yet as thou hast not been brought to this, to see by the Spirit in the Gospel that thou art without faith by nature, thou hast not yet tasted, much less believed, any part of the Gospel; for the Gospel and the law are two distinct covenants; and they that are under the law may be convinced by it, and so believe the law or first covenant, and yet in the mean time be strangers to the covenant of promise, that is, the Gospel, and so have no hope in them. There is not any promise that can be savingly believed until the soul be by the Gospel converted to Jesus Christ. For though men do think never so much that they believe the things or the word of the Gospel of our salvation, yet unless they have the work of grace in their souls, they do not, cannot, rightly believe the things contained in the Scriptures.

2. Again, as the law killeth those that believe it, even so the promises contained in the Gospel do, through faith, administer comfort to those that believe it aright. "My words," saith Christ, "my words they are spirit and they are life." As if he had said, The words contained in the law as a covenant of works,

they wound, they kill, they strike dead those that are under them. But as for me, "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life." That is, whosoever doth receive them believingly shall find them full of operation to comfort, quicken, and revive the soul. For as I did not come into the world to destroy men's lives, so that the words that I speak, (as I am sent to preach the Gospel,) they have no such tendency unto those that believe them. The promises that are in the Gospel, oh how do they comfort them! Such a promise, and such a promise, oh how sweet it is!

How comfortable to those that believe them! Alas! there are many poor souls that think they believe the Scriptures to be the word of God, and yet they never enjoyed any thing of the life and promises; they come in upon the heart to quicken, to revive thee, to raise thee from sentence of death that is passed on thee by the law, and through the faith that is wrought in thy soul by the operation of God's Holy Spirit (though once killed by the law or letter) thou art made alive in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is presented to thy soul in the promises.

3. Dost thou indeed and in truth believe the Scriptures to be the word of God? Then the things contained in them, especially the things of the Gospel, are very excellent to thy soul, as the birth of Christ, the death, the resurrection, intercession and second coming. Oh how precious and excellent are they to thy soul, insomuch that thou regardest nothing in comparison of them! Oh it is Christ's birth, death, blood, resurrection, &c., according to the Scriptures, that thou dost rejoice in exceedingly and abundantly desire after; whom having not seen ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet, believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

4. Dost thou believe the Scriptures to be the word of God? Then thou standest in awe of and dost much reverence them. Why, they are the word of God, the true sayings of God; they are the counsel of God; they are his promises and his threatenings. Poor souls are apt to think, If I could hear God speak to me from heaven with an audible voice, then sure I should be serious and believe it. But truly, if God should speak to thee from heaven, except thou wert converted thou wouldst not regard nor really believe him. But if thou dost believe the Scriptures, thou seest that they are the truth as really as if God should speak to thee from heaven through the clouds;

and therefore never flatter thyself, olishly thinking that if it were so and so then thou couldst believe. I tell thee, saith Christ, "If they believe not Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe though one should rise from the dead." But

5. Dost thou believe the Scriptures to be the word of God? Then through faith in Christ thou endeavourest to have thy life squared according to the Scriptures, both in word and practice. Nay, I say, thou mayest have, though thou do not believe them all. My meaning is, that if thou believe none but the ten commandments, thy life may be, according to them, a legal, holy life; and if thou do believe the Gospel too, then thy life will be the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ; that is, either thou wilt live in the blessed and holy enjoyment of what is testified in the Scripture concerning the glorious things of our Lord Jesus Christ, or else thou wilt be exceedingly panting after them. For the Scriptures carry such a blessed beauty in them to that soul that hath faith in the things contained in them that they do take the heart and captivate the soul of him that believeth them into the love and liking of them, believing all things that are written in the law and the prophets, and have hope towards God that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust; and herein do I exercise myself to have always a conscience void of offence both towards God and towards man.

6. He that believes the Scriptures to be the word of God, if he do but suppose that any one place of Scripture doth exclude him and shut him out of and from a share in the promises contained in them, oh it will trouble him, grieve him, perplex him; yea, he will not be satisfied until he be resolved and the contrary sealed to his soul, for he knows that the Scriptures are the word of God, all truth, and therefore he knows that if any one sentence doth exclude or bar him out for want of this or the other qualifications, he knows also that not the word alone shuts him out, but He that speaks it, even God himself; and therefore he cannot, will not, dare not, be contented until he and his soul and Scripture together (with the things contained therein) do embrace each other, and a sweet correspondency and agreement exist between them. For you must know that to him that believes the Scriptures aright the promises or threatenings are of more power to comfort or cast down than all the promises or threatenings of all the men

in the world. And this was the cause why the martyrs of Jesus did so slight both the promises of their adversaries when they would have overcome them with proffering the great things of this world unto them, and also their threatenings when they told them they would rack them, hang them, burn them. None of these things could prevail upon them or against them, because they did most really believe the Scriptures and the things contained in them, as is clearly found and to be seen in Heb. xi., and also in Mr. Fox's record of their brethren.

7. He that believeth the Scriptures to be the word of God believeth that men must be born again, and also be partakers of that faith which is of the operation of God, (according as he hath read and believed,) or else he must and shall be damned. And he that believeth this aright will not be contented until (according as it is written) he do partake of and enjoy the new birth, and until he do find through grace that faith that is wrought by the operation of God in his soul. For this is the cause why men do satisfy themselves with so slender a conceited hope that their state is good, (when it is nothing so,)-namely, because they do not credit the Scriptures; for did they, they would look into their own hearts, and examine seriously whether that faith, that hope, that grace which they think they have be of that nature and wrought by that Spirit and power which the Scripture speaketh of. I speak this of an effectual believing, without which all other is nothing, unto salvation. Now, then, because I would not be tedious, I shall at this time lay down no more discoveries of such an one as doth savingly believe the Scriptures and the things contained in them, but shall speak a few words of examination concerning the things already mentioned. As

1. Thou sayest thou dost indeed and in truth effectually believe the Scriptures. I ask, therefore, Wast thou ever killed stark dead by the law of works contained in the Scriptures killed by the law or letter, and made to sce thy sins against it, and left in an helpless condition by the law? For, as I said, the proper work of the law is to slay the soul and to leave it dead, in an helpless state. For it doth neither give the soul any comfort itself when it comes, nor doth it show the soul where comfort is to be had; and therefore it is called "the ministration of condemnation, the ministration of death." For though men may have a notion of the blessed word of God, as

the children had, yet before they be converted it may be truly said of them, "Ye err, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God."

2. You say you do believe the Scriptures to be the word of God. I say again, Examine: wert thou ever quickened from a dead state by the power of the Spirit of Christ through the other part of the Scriptures-that is to say, by the power of God in his Son Jesus Christ though the covenant of promise? I tell thee from the Lord, if thou hast, thou hast felt such a quickening power in the words of Christ (John vi.) that thou hast been lifted out of that dead condition that thou before wert in; and that when thou wast under the guilt of sin, the curse of the law, and the power of the devil, and the justice of the great God, thou hast been enabled by the power of God in Christ, revealed to thee by the Spirit through and by the Scripture, to look sin, death, the devil, and the law, and all things that are at enmity with thee with boldness and comfort in the face, through the blood, death, righteousness, resurrection, and intercession of Christ, made mention of in the Scriptures.

And, 3. On this account oh how excellent are the Scriptures to thy soul! Oh how much virtue dost thou see in such a promise, in such an invitation! They are so large as to say, Christ will in nowise cast me out; my crimson sins shall be white as snow. I tell thee, friend, there are some promises that the Lord hath helped me to lay hold of, Jesus Christ through and by, that I would not have out of the Bible for as much gold and silver as can lie between York and London, piled up to the stars, because through them Christ is pleased by his Spirit to convey comfort to my soul. I say, when the law curses, when the devil tempts, when hell-fire flames in my conscience, my sins, with the guilt of them, tearing of me, then is Christ revealed so sweetly to my soul through the promises that all is forced to fly and leave off to accuse my soul. So also when the world frowns, when the enemies rage and threaten to kill me, then also the precious, the exceeding great and precious, promises do weigh down all and comfort the soul against all. This is the effect of believing the Scriptures savingly; for they that do so have, by and through the Scriptures, good comfort and also ground of hope, believing those things to be its own which the Scriptures hold forth.

4. Examine: dost thou stand in awe of sinning against God because he hath in the Scrip

tures commanded thee to abstain from it? Dost thou give diligence to make thy calling and election sure because God commanded it in Scripture? Dost thou examine thyself whether thou be in the faith or no, having a command in Scripture so to do? Or dost thou (notwithstanding what thou readest in the Scripture) follow the world, delight in sin, neglect coming to Jesus Christ, speak evil of the saints, slight and make a mock at the ordinance of God, delight in wicked company, and the like? Then know that it is because thou dost not indeed and in truth believe the Scriptures effectually. For, as I said before, if a man do believe them, and that savingly, then he stands in awe, he looks to his steps, he turns his feet from evil, and endeavours to follow that which is good, which God hath commanded in the Scriptures of truth, yet not from a legal or natural principle—that is, to seek for life by doing that good thing-but knowing that salvation is already obtained for him by the blood of that man, Christ Jesus, on the cross, because he believes the Scriptures; therefore (mark, I pray, therefore) I say, he labours to walk with his God in all well-pleasing and godliness, because the sweet power of the love of Christ, which he feels in his soul by the Spirit according to the Scriptures, constrains him so to do.

5. Examine again: dost thou labour after those qualifications that the Scriptures do describe a child of God by-that is, faith, yea, the right faith, the most holy faith, the faith of the operation of God? And also dost thou examine whether there is a real growth of grace in thy soul, as love, zeal, self-denial, and a seeking by all means to attain (if possible) to the resurrection of the dead--that is, not to satisfy thyself until thou be dissolved and rid of this body of death, and be transformed into that glory that the saints should be in after the resurrection-day? And in the mean time dost labour and take all opportunities to walk as near as may be to the pitch, though thou knowest thou canst not attain it perfectly? Yes, I say, thou dost aim at it, seek after it, press toward it; and to hold on in thy race thou shunnest that which may any way hinder thee, and also closest in with what may any way further the same, knowing that that must be or desiring that it should be thine eternal frame, and therefore out of love and liking to it thou dost desire and long after it as being the thing that doth most please thy soul.

Or how is it with thy soul? Art thou such

an one as regards not these things, but rather busiest thy thoughts about the things here below, following those things that have no scent of divine glory upon them? If so, look to thyself; thou art an unbeliever, and so under the wrath of God, and wilt for certain fall into the same place of torment that thy fellows have fallen into before thee, to the grief of thy own soul and thy everlasting destruction.

Consider and regard these things, and lay them to thy heart before it be too late to recover thyself by repenting of the one and desiring to close in with the other. Oh, I say, regard. regard, for hell is hot. God's hand is up! the law is resolved to discharge against thy soul! the judgment-day is at hand! the graves are ready to fly open! the trumpet is near the sounding the sentence will ere long be past, and then you and I cannot call time again!

But again, seeing they are so certain, so sure, so irrecoverable, and firm, and seeing the sav ing faith of the things contained therein is to reform the soul and bring it over to the things of God, really conforming it to the things contained therein, both to the point of justification and also an impartial walking, and giving up thy soul and body to a conformity to all the commands, counsels, instructions, and exhortations contained therein, this then will learn us how to judge of those who give up themselves to walk in the imaginations of their own hearts, who slight and lay aside the Scriptures, counting them but empty and uncertain things, and will live every day in open contradiction to what is contained, commanded, and forbidden therein.

As, first. This will show us that all your drunkards, whoremasters, liars, thieves, swearers, backbiters, slanderers, scoffers at goodness, &c.--I say, we may see by this that they that live in such things have not the faith of these things contained in their hearts, seeing they delight to practice those things that are forbidden by and in them. And so they continuing living and dying in this state, we may conclude without fear that these portions of Holy Scrip ture belong unto them, and shall for certain be fulfilled upon them: He that believeth not shall be damned.-The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God.-But the abominable, the unbelieving, the whoremongers, and all liars shall have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone.-Depart, se cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devils and his angels." Depart, depart from me, for I will not save you. Depart, for my